Once upon a time, there was a fabulous teen librarian who liked to read and to cook about as much as she loved to travel, and nearly as much as she loved a case of the terribles and her crusty sidekick, Le Creuset...

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Monday, April 28, 2014

Half Bad, by Sally Green: Wholly Good

Half Bad

Sally Green

Viking: New York, 2014.

ISBN: 978-0670016785

ARC provided by publisher on NetGalley

Imagine a young British man with magical powers. He is unique, monitored by his government for it, parentless, and disliked by most members of his family. His name? It's not Harry. In this magical title, the grit is grittier, the dark darker, and the protagonist less of a crowd pleaser than in a certain other series about a young wizard. Nathan a half code - the only person to have Black and White witch parentage. He is consequently constantly monitored and tracked by the powerful White witches, whose ministry places ever tightening restrictions upon half codes. In this England, White witches fear and hunt all Black witches. Nathan's White witch mother is dead, and his at-large father is the most powerful Black witch alive. As the edicts become more and more austere, Nathan is placed in a cage somewhere in the Welsh wilderness, and his family and the girl he loves - a forbidden White witch - punished for associating with him. This gripping first in Green's new series is a start to finish, high stakes adrenaline rush, where good and evil aren't just that. Thought it will appeal to fans of a certain other English wizard, it is much more gritty, crass, and violent, and is recommended to older teens and adults.

Any more words seem unnecessary, and will slow you down in your quest to acquire and commence your magical reading experience. It is one of the books I've most enjoyed reading in 2014. You will not be able to put this one down. Get at it, yesterday, team.